Brilliant result after professional performance.

Despite missing a penalty, Cesc Fabregas deservedly received the man of the match award after his incisive passing opened up a miserly City defence. His first attempted through ball found Andrei Arshavin marginally offside but his second effort led to the decisive moment of the match.

The impressive Marouanne Chamakh latched on to the second perfectly weighted pass and Joe Hart was the only player between him and the goal. Just as he was about to set himself for a shot on goal Boyata clattered into him just outside the area and was deservedly shown a red card. We failed to score from the subsequent free kick but it wasn't long before we made our numerical advantage count.

Samir Nasri, who had been an elusive presence up until this point, collected the ball on the edge of the area, cut inside to play a one-two with Arshavin and fired a finish over Joe Hart from close range. Nasri is a brilliant player to watch and the fans showed their appreciation with a raucous rendition of Sammy's song. At that point it seemed as if we would run riot but Mancini's men regrouped and we lost any momentum.

We still had a great opportunity to double our lead before half-time though when Cesc was tripped just inside the area by a clumsy Vincent Kompany. Unfortunately the captain continued our mixed success with penalties this season as he became the third Arsenal player to miss a penalty this season. It was a good save by Joe Hart but Fabregas did question how he could be man of the match when he had missed from the spot.

The Fabregas-Chamakh combination returned to create the vital second goal in the second half. Our centre forward had been looking to break beyond the back four all match and he was at it again in the 66th minute. Fabregas tried to slip the ball through, it was blocked but Alexandre Song continued with his recent fondness for pushing forward and latched on to the loose ball to rifle it into the top corner from 12 yards. It was a spectacular finish and a very satisfying change from our more ineffective shuffling football.

The goal finally knocked the life out of Man City, not even the controversial emergence of Adebayor could spark them into action. We controlled the rest of the game in a very professional manner and added the third when Niklas Bendtner broke clear and provided a clinical finish. The Dane's return to fitness will give Wenger the chance to rotate Chamakh who must be feeling the effects of a demanding start to the season, particularly considering his impressive work rate.

We demonstrated good concentration and discipline to ensure that we kept eleven players on the pitch after a flurry of yellows in the first half. At times our midfield missed the industry of Jack Wilshere as Denilson struggled to impose himself on powerful opponents but the youngster could probably do with the rest that this suspension has given him after a hectic start to the season.

It's a score line that will look great in the record books and it gives us a vital three points, throwing us straight to the front of the chasing pack again. We have had a tough run of fixtures at the start of the season but to come out of away games at Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City with four points is a much better return than we have managed in the last couple of years.

Cesc Fabregas proved that he does make the difference in the big games and if we keep him fit for the rest of the campaign, maybe this could finally be the season.

Photo: Action Images

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